August 23, 2018 4:17pm EDTAugust 23, 2018 4:16pm EDTFantasy football owners love to look ahead -- all the way to the fantasy playoffs in Weeks 14-16. We look at every NFL team's adjusted strength of schedule, plus the teams that appear to have favorable/unfavorable matchups later in the season so you have every bit of of data before your draft.Andrew Luck (L), Larry Fitzgerald (R)(SN/Getty)

It's difficult to make long-term predictions in fantasy football, but looking at in-season matchups can have an impact on draft strategy. Though strength of schedule numbers devised before the season should be taken with a grain of salt, they can still be a valuable addition to your cheat sheet and can have a very slight impact on your fantasy football rankings, especially if you're on the clock and trying to choose between two similar players. This is also true with the fantasy playoff schedule (Weeks 14-16). It's impossible to know what teams will look like that late in the season, but that doesn't stop fantasy owners from trying.

The methodology of using team’s records from the previous season in order to predict future strength of schedule is a bit misguided. It may be the easiest path to take, but too often, teams progress or regress rapidly at the NFL level. Plus, using strength of schedule from the previous season doesn’t take into account any personnel changes that teams have made. Because of those factors, this method isn’t necessarily the best way to research strength of schedule.

For the purposes of calculating strength of schedule in this piece, we elected to use the Vegas over/under win totals as the barometer from projected success. Sure, they may not be entirely accurate, but they should be in the right ballpark and will certainly be better than using previous seasons winning percentages.

We also elected to eliminate Week 17 from the projected strength of schedule of each team. This is an important fact, as most fantasy leagues don’t play in Week 17. As a result, there are certain teams that miss out on facing easy or difficult opponents, and that can have an impact on their projected fantasy strength of schedule.

Without further ado, here’s a look at projected strength of schedule this season, ranked from the most difficult to the easiest, plus a look at fantasy playoff strengths of schedule, so you can get an idea of which players might be in favorable/unfavorable environments or matchups come the most important time of the year.

Again, it’s important not to put too much stock into these projections, as certain teams will have the chance to vastly exceed expectations, especially once injuries come into play. But still, these strength of schedule numbers dictate that certain teams may have more favorable matchups, so the Texans guys like Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, and Will Fuller deserve a minor stock up because of this.

Fantasy Playoff Favorable/Unfavorable Schedules

Least Difficult Fantasy Playoff Stretches

Colts

Week 14 @ TexansWeek 15 vs. CowboysWeek 16 vs. Giants

The Colts are one of the more intriguing teams down the stretch this season. They play all of their Week 14-16 games in a domed stadium, and two of those are home games. The Texans are a tough matchup on paper, but if Andrew Luck is healthy, that game could turn into a shootout between two good, young quarterbacks. That would give a boost to all players involved, especially since they’ll be dodging any sort of December weather.

In Weeks 15 and 16, the Colts play two NFC East squads that have solid weaponry, but also have questions, especially on defense. The Cowboys secondary is somewhat of a concern, due to the youth they are relying on there, while the Giants didn’t perform up to their talent level last year and have Eli Manning at quarterback. If the Cowboys secondary struggles, Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton should have a field day. If Manning can’t move the ball for the Giants on offense, the Colts will have a chance to wear out the defense and put up a lot of points.

If the Texans, Cowboys, and Giants prove to have strong defenses, this could be all for naught. But, given the relative lack of value being placed on Luck and Hilton right now (especially Luck), they could be high-upside options and may outperform their draft slots. Even without the late-season schedule, they could have breakout performances if Luck’s shoulder is in good enough shape.

Patriots

Week 14 @ DolphinsWeek 15 @ SteelersWeek 16 vs. Bills

Playing in the AFC East automatically gives the Patriots five great matchups this year (excluding, for fantasy purposes, a meaningless Week 17 game against the Jets). Down the stretch of the season, they have a few extremely favorable matchups, including games against the Dolphins and Bills. In Week 14, the Patriots will dodge the New England weather and play in Miami against a Dolphins team that doesn’t have much proven talent on defense. Tom Brady and company should be able to pick them apart and notch a victory.

The Steelers game will be a bit more of a challenge, but the Patriots have played well against them with Brady at the helm. The matchup with the Bills in Week 16 is probably the best on the entire slate, as the Bills profile as one of the NFL’s weakest teams. Their offense looks like a major work in progress, so unless Josh Allen steps up, it seems unlikely that the Bills will challenge the Patriots much. They do have a decent defense, but if they’re already well out of contention, they may not be motivated to play very hard. All Patriots will have a chance to do well in fantasy championship week, and their defensive unit could be particularly good.

Still, it’s possible that the Steelers could give them a tough battle and the Dolphins or Bills could be better than expected. The weather could also be brutal for that Buffalo game. Take this with a grain of salt until we have a better idea of how these teams look. That said, the Patriots still have one of the weaker looking stretch runs for now.

Cowboys

Week 14 vs. EaglesWeek 15 @ ColtsWeek 16 vs. Bucs

The next two weeks get much easier. While the Colts have a potentially high-powered offense, their defense still looks suspect, as they have young players in the secondary and don’t have a great deal of talent in the front seven. The Cowboys could take advantage of that and in particular, Zeke Elliott could have big game. And with no weather to worry about, this matchup is all the more appealing.

As for Week 16, well -- the Bucs are the Bucs. They may be one of the worst teams in the NFL and unless they are able to collectively make the leap this season, they are going to have a tough time containing opposing offenses. Elliott, Dak Prescott, and Allen Hurns could all have big games against Tampa in the fantasy championship. This is another reason to consider some of the Cowboys as sleepers, and it’s also yet another reason that Elliott is our No. 1 overall player for the ‘18 season.

Lions

Week 14 @ CardinalsWeek 15 @ BillsWeek 16 vs. Vikings

I was initially reluctant to put the Lions on here because of the potential for a cold weather matchup in Buffalo. However, the games against the Cardinals and Bills are too good to pass up as potential top-notch options. Playing in the dome against the Cardinals, the Lions passing attack could have a big day, so Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate, and Marvin Jones all receive a boost there. Meanwhile, provided that it isn’t too cold or snowy in Buffalo, the matchup with the Bills should be easy enough, given their young offense and defense. The Lions could put up another solid game and help fantasy owners reach the finals.

Of course, playing the Vikings in Week 16 will be tough, but at least that’s a home clash for the Lions. With a high-powered passing attack, the team should have a chance to take advantage of the final few weeks of their season and could produce at a lot of points during the fantasy playoffs -- or at least get you to your fantasy championship where you can opt for other players with better matchups.

The Steelers have a potentially brutal finish to the fantasy season. They will square off against three teams with legitimate chances of making the playoffs, and all three teams will give them trouble. Playing in “The Black Hole” during Week 14 will be a challenge, especially if Jon Gruden has the Raiders competing for a playoff spot. The Patriots always play the Steelers tough, and in his last three games against the Patriots (including a playoff meeting in 2016), Ben Roethlisberger has averaged 18.7 fantasy points per game. That’s not bad, but it’s not an ideal number to get from your QB in the playoff semifinals. Meanwhile, the Saints are a well-balanced team on both sides of the ball that will slow down the Pittsburgh offense and could hold onto the ball a lot, since Pittsburgh doesn’t have a great looking run defense. At least that game is indoors, though.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t draft Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, or Antonio Brown. There’s a good chance the teams they are playing don’t turn out to be a solid as expected, so these matchups may look better later in the season. Just make sure you have complementary players around them that are capable of having big games in case they put up duds in the playoffs.

Rams

Week 14 @ BearsWeek 15 vs. EaglesWeek 16 @ Cardinals

The Rams will get the benefit of an easier dome game matchup in Week 16, but the two weeks before could be brutal. The Bears have a very strong looking defense, and playing in Chicago is never an easy thing in December. Jared Goff and the Rams will be used to the warmer Los Angeles weather, so they may have trouble adjusting to the cold in Chicago against a tough defense. The passing game could sputter a bit, and Todd Gurley could be stalled by the Bears front seven.

In Week 15, the Eagles will pose a threat in L.A., as they are one of the best teams in the league. The Rams have no discernable homefield advantage, so the Eagles fans may travel and make the L.A. Coliseum their home for the weekend. Beyond that, the Eagles have improved their defense and seem unlikely to surrender 35 points to the Rams as they did last season.

Gurley and the Rams passing weapons shouldn’t be impacted much by this schedule, as all they will need is a touchdown to be effective. However, it might be worth grabbing a strong backup to Goff, just in case he struggles against tougher defenses. Then, Weeks 14 and 15 can be matchup-based plays for your team so you can avoid the potential of Goff putting up a dud. But again, injuries and ineffectiveness will take their toll by this point in the season, and it’s possible that the Bears and Eagles might not be as strong as we think (or conversely, the Rams offense might not be as strong as we think).

Dolphins

Week 14 vs. PatriotsWeek 15 @ VikingsWeek 16 vs. Jaguars

The Dolphins benefit from the fact that all of these games are taking place in either warm environments of domed stadiums. However, the defenses that they are facing are absolutely brutal. The Jaguars and the Vikings have two of the best defenses in the league, and they will put pressure on Miami's mediocre offensive line. Kenyan Drake and Ryan Tannehill could have trouble finding space as a result, and that could create problems for the team. As for the Patriots matchup, they are a divisional foe with an improved-looking defense as well, so that game certainly won't be easy either.

A lot can change by the end of the season, but if these teams stay healthy, the end to the Dolphins fantasy season looks brutal. Factor in that the team might not be competitive in the AFC East, and it seems like a major risk to rely on this team down the stretch. So, the Dolphins fantasy options deserve a minor downgrade as a result.